SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota State University put on a shooting and defensive clinic in the opening twenty minutes of the Summit League men’s basketball championship game on Tuesday night.
NDSU shot 16-31 from the floor, 8-11 from beyond arc and led 49-22 at halftime over the University of North Dakota inside the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
The Bison clinched their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2009, with a 89-53 win over the Fighting Hawks.
UND scored a season low for points and were held scoreless for the first 6 minutes and 54 minutes of the game, before Marlon Stewart made a layup and saw the Fighting Hawks trailing 13-2.
This version of the green and gold was something NDSU head coach Dave Richman has seen in the making.
“You’ve seen it now, last Saturday at home against Omaha, you saw it here tonight. Last night was a heck of a ballgame against ORU and that’s that version of us that we’re capable of especially on this stage,” said Richman.
Bison senior guard Vinnie Shahid was named Summit League Tournament MVP and scored a game-high 25 points, while shooting 8-14 from the floor. Senior guard Tyson Ward notched a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
“Just having a lot of fun it was really key,” said Ward on the performance in the championship. “Continue to hammer the details and not let the moment get to big.”
De’Sean Allen-Eikens paced UND (15-18 overall) with a team-high 17 points and 5 rebounds. UND senior guard Marlon Stewart was held in check with 12 points and finished 0-6 from the three-point line.
This was the largest margin of victory in the history of the Summit League Tournament championship game. The previous record was in 2002, when Valparaiso beat IUPUI 88-55.
NDSU (24-8 overall) will find out who and where they’ll play with the Selection Sunday show at 5 p.m. You can watch Selection Sunday on CBS or listen from 5-8 p.m. on 740 The Fan and 107.3 FM.
(NDSU senior guard Jared Samuelson and Tyson Ward postgame interviews with Chase Miller)
SIOUX FALLS, SD – MARCH 10: Filip Rebraca #12 of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks shoots over a North Dakota State defender during the mens championship game at the 2020 Summit League Basketball Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD. (Photo by Richard Carlson/Inertia)
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
NDSU – Shahid 25, Ward 23, Samuelson 11, Hunter 9, Griesel 8, Kreuser 5, Knotek 3, Wilson IV 3, Witz 2.
UND – Allen-Eikens 17, Stewart 12, Rebraca 11, Walter 8, Coudreau 3, Brown 2.
SIOUX FALLS, SD – MARCH 10: The North Dakota State Bison celebrate at the horn their 89-53 win over North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the mens championship game at the 2020 Summit League Basketball Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Vinnie Shahid, NDSU
Tyson Ward, NDSU
Sam Griesel, NDSU
Marlon Stewart, UND
Kevin Obanor, ORU
SIOUX FALLS, SD – MARCH 10: North Dakota State Bison head coach David Richman slings the net following their 89-53 win over North Dakota Fighting Hawks at the mens championship game at the 2020 Summit League Basketball Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
